My (new) scenic ride to work 1

Just over a year ago, I moved to Canterbury. Ironically, just as NSW mergers of local government areas brought into being an officially designated “Inner West,” after over 30 years (leaving aside my Perth sojourn) I am no longer living there.

That was a bit of a blow to my geographical self-respect (self-regard some may say). It also means that I am one big hill further away from the city. As age takes its toll, that has proved an obstacle to a bicycle commute.

Maybe one day I will surmount that. Meanwhile, when time and weather permit, I can ride to Sydenham and take a fast and more frequent train from there. This is my new scenic ride (half way) to work. It takes me mostly along a stretch of the Cooks River cycleway.

That’s the detention pond near the mouth of Cup and Saucer Creek, not long after I join the path on the south side of the river. When I took this picture it was full of unsightly green algae. It has since cleared up.

This is a distant view of the old sugar mill, now converted to flats:

I usually cross the river at this point:

There is a small harbour which must have been used for the sugar mill:

An area is fenced off to protect birds basking in the sun from pesky people.

I suppose I got too close for comfort.

It was difficult to catch a good photo of this, but you can detect the main stream of the river from the plastic water bottles and other flotsam floating up and down along it with the tide. Here at least some street rubbish has been captured at the end of a stormwater drain:

though as we know it is but a drop in the ocean.

The path continues past sometimes flood-prone land and (I’m being botanically imprecise here) pleasing stands of paperbarks which I guess find that congenial.

After passing playing fields and some decommissioned tennis courts, the path crosses the Cooks River again on a bridge which is definitely in need of renewal.

This brings the path back to the southern side of the Cooks River. There is a mosque.

The path crosses Wardell Road and there are more playing fields and a tennis court which is often being played on until quite late at night. A new bridge crosses over again just near the Marrickville Golf Course clubhouse:

I ride past the club house and out of the golf course, cross the bottom of Illawara Road and come to Steel Park.

Even if I’m not really thirsty, I always pause for a drink of water here on principle.

Because it’s free.

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2 Responses to “My (new) scenic ride to work 1”

Ken, I too am wondering as I contemplate that extra hill. I see them about more and more and people who ride them tell me they still actually do a bit of pedalling themselves – it’s probably a matter of self-discipline. I would imagine with an e-bike one could do a longer trip than my present semi-commute but with the same relatively mildly pulse-raising and endorphin-inducing effect. More importantly and especially for Sydney, if you live in a hilly neighbourhood (as I suspect you do) the e-assistance could make riding viable.